An altar is perfect for a sacred space, a spiritual work or an homenaje (homage) to a person you want to honor.  It is a shrine for remembrances of friends, times and places.  Portable altars are especially useful as they can be moved from one arena to another, building against a larger background if desired.  In this workshop students will take cardboard and decorative paper to build their altars from scratch; the instructor will discuss the possibilities of making altars from wood, metal, fabric, found objects and other mixed media outside of the classroom setting. The altars will be in one of many styles, of the student’s choosing – with or without shelves, covering it in paper or cloth. The various ways to decorate, fill, and dedicate altars will be covered. Altars can be placed on a table or dresser or any special place in one’s home. This can be an altar to honor someone who has passed away, a place to focus your own spirit, a conceptual idea, or a box in the great tradition of Bette Saar or Joseph Cornell.

The instructor will have altar samples on hand as a source of inspiration for students to reference. Time permitting, the class may also cover making a very small skeleton to placed inside each completed altar. 

Materials to Bring: Whatever students would like to use to put inside their altar.

Optional and available at SFCB for student use during workshop: pencil, utility knife, self-healing cutting mat, bone folder, scissors, glue stick.

Workshop + Materials Fee: $175.00

Date & Time: Saturday, October 29, 2016 :: 10am-4pm

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Note: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP.

About the Instructor | CJ Grossman

c.j. grossman, MFA California College of Arts and Crafts, teaches mixed media and book-arts classes to adults and children. She exhibits her books and mixed media works nationally. She is former editor of Kids Making Books.

Past Student Reviews:

 “I would take another class from CJ Grossman in a MINUTE!”